The purpose of this article was to review the origin and properties of the low-angle

grain boundaries found in YBa2Cu3O7−δ-coated conductors, both individually and

as a collective system. Over the past ten years the perception of grain boundaries in

YBa2Cu3O7−δ conductors had changed greatly. They were no longer a problem to

be eliminated but a potentially favourable aspect of the material. This change had

arisen as a consequence of new manufacturing techniques which result in excellent

grain alignment; reducing the spread of grain boundary misorientation angles. At

the same time there was considerable new evidence that the variation of properties

of grain boundaries with mismatch angle was more complex than a simple

exponential decrease in critical current. This was due to the fact that low-angle

grain boundaries represented a qualitatively different system to that of high-angle

boundaries.

Importance of Low-Angle Grain Boundaries in YBa2Cu3O7−δ Coated Conductors.

J.H.Durrell, N.A.Rutter: Superconductor Science and Technology, 2009, 22[1],

013001